Joy's 'Old Glory' - Snapshots From the War

Airman, July, 2003 by Louis A. Arana-Barradas

BASHUR AIRFIELD, Iraq -- When Tech. Sgt. Ken Joy went to Iraq, he took his prized possession -- the American flag his father gave him 14 years ago.

The flag's from another time, another war and has its own distinct history. Yet it has come to symbolize everything Joy believes Old Glory stands for -- duty, honor, country -- and more.

"To me, the red stripes represent the blood of all the military men and women who died serving our country," Joy said. "It's why I fly it as high as possible."

Joy's an unabashed, flag-waving patriot who joined the Air Force to serve his country. A security forces fire team leader with the 786th Security Forces Squad-ron from Sembach Annex, Germany, he doesn't deploy without his flag. Like at other places, Joy hoped to fly the flag over his tent at Bashur Airfield.

But Iraq was another matter. Flying the Stars and Stripes there is a no-no. So the sergeant from Pasadena, Calif., flew his beloved flag in the only place he could -- inside his tent.

"No matter where it flies, it's still the symbol of our country, of our resolve," he said.

Joy's proud of his flag because of what it means to his father, Darryl. He was a Navy assault coxswain aboard the USS Talladega during the Vietnam War.

The flag flew over Darryl's landing craft during an operation in 1965, when he dropped 50 Marines onto a beach in South Vietnam. It was one of the first beach landings of the war, and the Americans came under fire.

Two weeks later in Da Nang, a Marine Darryl left on the beach approached him and asked if he remembered him. The sailor's smart-alecky reply was something like, "No, not really. All you Marines look alike to me."

Then the leatherneck told him he was the only survivor of the boatload of Marines.

"That's when my dad realized -- and relayed to me later -- that being in the military isn't a game," Joy said. "It's serious business, and people die doing it."

Darryl took the flag from his boat, folded it and stuck it in his sea bag. It stayed there through his three years in Vietnam and until just before his son left to join the Air Force.

Darryl didn't talk about Vietnam until Joy headed for basic training. He told his son the story of the flag before giving it to him. Darryl told him to take care of it as the symbol of the nation -- and to honor the Marines who died on that beach in South Vietnam 38 years ago.

At Bashur, Joy led a team safeguarding the airfield. He was often on foot or vehicle patrol or pulling convoy security duty. The days stretched from sunup to sundown.

No matter, Joy loves what he does. But back at Sembach, his wife, Mary Grace, and the couple's two children, Darryl and Jasmine, were worried. But unlike other separations they've endured, this time Joy's wife was behind his deployment 100 percent. In a letter to her husband, Mary Grace said she was proud of what he was doing.

The big cop got a bit misty-eyed when talking about his family. No doubt he wanted to be with them. But he had a key job to do. He stayed focused by looking at the flag in his tent.

"Our flag looks different in a war zone," he said. "It makes what we do more meaningful."

When the time comes, Joy plans to tell his son the story of the flag. And one day he'll pass it to his son, if he decides to join the military.

"God willing, my son won't have to go to war," Joy said. "But if he does, I want him to take this flag with him and fly it proudly."